Assault charges have been laid against a second Alberta men after a referee and coach at a youth hockey tournament in Lethbridge were attacked on the ice.

A cell phone video shot by a spectator at the Crossings Ice Centre captured the confrontation on Sunday in which five unidentified people without skates confront a referee at the three-on-three hockey tournament, the eighth annual Quest for the Cup.

The game official is knocked to the ice and struck repeatedly.

On Monday, Lethbridge Police said they’ve charged with assault Robert Farrell Creighton, 55, of Standoff, who was detained without incident at the arena.

They say he’s a relative of the player involved in the incident.

On Tuesday, police announced Todd William Cross Child, 36, of Lethbridge was charged with two counts of assault.

Both men were released from custody and are to appear in court Oct. 9 and police say there will be no further charges.

Police say the incident began when a 10-year-old male player engaged in a verbal altercation with the referee and then slashed the official twice with his stick.

The referee, say police, pushed the player to the ice, which prompted a group of adults, including coaches and a relative of the player, to take to the ice.

In the video, the referee initially skates backwards before getting shoved by someone in the group.

This just happened in #Lethbridge tonight. From what I’ve been told it was a 10 year old 3 on 3 tournament where a player slashed a ref. My source tells me the ref responded in a physical way (some are saying self defence) & this happened. Reaching out to organizer for more info pic.twitter.com/mlsZs8nNuE

The coach from the opposing team was pushed to the ice and the referee was punched several times by two men before the melee was halted, say Lethbridge police.

Both men suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Blair Spence said his 10-year-old son was participating in the same competition when the confrontation exploded but said the boy and his teammates were ushered off the ice before it escalated.

“He saw the kid swinging his stick, it’s as much as he saw,” said Spence, who’s served as a minor hockey coach.

“It’s absolutely crazy, it should never happen … having a disagreement about a call is one thing but I can’t fathom people taking it to that extent.”

As a coach and hockey parent, Spence said he’s never seen an incident like Sunday’s, adding he’s rarely been the target of verbal abuse.

But he said a “winning at all costs” mentality among some parents is an issue in local minor hockey that can lead to violence and intimidation.

Spence said he’s also at a loss as to why such a young boy would strike a referee with his stick.

“That kid will never be on another team,” he said.

The skills development tournament involved boys and girls between the ages of seven and 12.

A statement posted to the website of tournament organizer High Performance Hockey on Sunday evening confirmed the altercation occurred and says the organization is co-operating with the police investigation.

The statement said the tussle “should serve as an example to all about the importance of ensuring the rink is a safe place for our children. Actions like this have no place in our game”

It also said the tournament is an opportunity for players to enjoy the game of hockey with their friends.

“For that reason, we are especially disappointed to see an act like this occur.”

In a statement released Monday, the Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association (LMHA) said it had nothing to do with the tournament which involved unsanctioned, uncertified activities and officials not up to its standards of discipline.

“Any individual who was involved in this incident who wishes to join LMHA at a future date will be having to answer to their involvement prior to being accepted into our program,” wrote association General Manager Keith Hitchcock.

“The safety of our children, our officials, our coaches is a very high priority in our program and any actions that impede a safe learning environment for all is not condoned and dealt with seriously and swiftly.”

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